Duluth resident flew missions with Tuskegee Airmen

DULUTH -- A Duluth man has a vested interest in how Hollywood will portray the World War II black Army Air Corps unit in a George Lucas film opening Friday.

Joe Gomer was a member of the unit credited with playing a role in integrating the military. The story of Gomer's unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, will eventually be inscribed on a bronze statue in his honor to be erected at the new Duluth International Airport terminal.

Gomer flew 68 combat missions with the unit that included 450 pilots who trained at the Tuskegee airfield in Alabama. They were credited with destroying more than 260 German aircraft. The Duluth News Tribune says bomber crews called the airmen "Red Tail Angels" because of the red paint on the tail of their aircraft. The Lucas film is entitled "Red Tails."